Tag Archives: STEM teachers

Houston STEM teacher Arquala Davis named HAABSE’s 2026 Secondary Teacher of the Year

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STEM teacher Arquala Davis of Houston, Texas, has been named the 2026 Secondary Teacher of the Year by HAABSE. Photo credit: Arquala Davis

Many deserving teachers earn recognition for their outstanding work with young people. One of them is Arquala Davis, a STEM teacher from Houston, Texas. She has been named the 2026 Secondary Teacher of the Year by the Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators (HAABSE).

Arquala teaches STEM courses at Dwight D. Eisenhower High School, a public school fondly referred to as “Big Ike” in the Aldine Independent School District in Houston, Texas. There she instructs courses in Chemistry, Earth and Space, and Biology sciences. She has worked at the school for four years.

In her classroom, Arquala emphasizes creating hands-on, student-driven curriculum that encourages exploration and generates discussion. “I spark curiosity by allowing students to lead their own learning and connect science to their everyday experiences,” she says. “Through labs, activities, and meaningful discussions about scientific phenomena, students begin to see how science is already part of their lives,” she continues. “Students do science every day without even realizing it. The exciting part is helping them understand what they’ve already discovered,” she concludes.

Her award from HAABSE is not the only recognition Arquala has earned. She was honored as the Rookie Teacher of the Year at Big Ike in 2022, and she garnered the Dean’s Dozen Award that same year. In addition, she was named the Austin Outstanding Student from the University of Texas in 2022. 

Arquala earned her Bachelor’s degree in Health and Society from the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. She earned her Master’s degree in Public Health with an emphasis in Epidemiology and Data Science from UTHealth Houston in 2026.

The mission of the HAABSE is to uplift educators, enhance opportunities for all students, and celebrate outstanding service. The organization honors teachers across the Greater Houston area for their exceptional commitment to students, schools, and communities.

Louisiana elementary teacher Regena Beard named her state’s 2026 Teacher of the Year

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Elementary STEM teacher Regena Beard has been named Louisiana State’s 2026 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: CCSSO

Every year, many exceptional educators are singled out for honors in recognition for their dedicated work in our nation’s public schools. One of these is Regena Beard, an elementary school teacher from Louisiana. She has been named her state’s 2026 Teacher of the Year.

Regena teaches courses in science, STEM, and robotics to fifth and sixth graders at Copper Mill Elementary School in the town of Zachary. To further support her students’ exploration of STEM studies, she founded both a Robotics Club and a Coding Club on her campus. In addition, she serves on the Teacher Advisory Council in her district.

As part of her curriculum in her fifth-grade class, Regena’s students explore how matter moves through the ecosystem. They study the cycle of moving from plant producers to animal consumers to decomposers and back into the soil that enriches plants. As part of their study, Regina’s students create animations through block coding on lab computers. “Students are very excited to engage in the content in this way,” she declares. “We certainly don’t do integration with every assignment because you have to teach them how to code first, but we pick and choose what assignments lend themselves to integration,” she explains.

Regena earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2004. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a Concentration in STEM from Louisiana State University, Shreveport, in 2023.

In addition to her State Teacher of the Year honors, Regena garnered a Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) in 2022, and that same year she was named Outstanding Science Teacher of the Year by the Louisiana Science Teachers Association. Her career as an educator spans 21 years.

CO teacher Shana Engel earns prestigious Milken Educator Award

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Colorado elementary teacher Shana Engel has garnered a prestigious Milken Educator Award for 2025-2026. Photo credit; La Voz Colorado

It is always my pleasure to share the story of a talented educator who has earned recognition for her work in the classroom. One of these is Shana Engel, an elementary school school teacher from Colorado who has garnered a prestigious Milken Educator Award for 2025-2026. She is one of only 30 educators to be so honored this year.

Shana teaches mathematics to sixth graders at Mountain Vista Community School, a public school located in Colorado Springs.

Shana is very active on her campus. She organizes opportunities for students to engage with math through the school’s STEM Club, Robotics Club, and Math Tutoring club. And she also encourages parents to volunteer in her classrooms.

In addition to her work with her students, Shana serves on her school’s math committee, and she has been named both the sixth-grade team lead and the middle school math lead. As if all that were not enough, she mentors beginning teachers through the University of Colorado Springs. And she leads professional development on such topics as student engagement strategies and math reasoning.

The daughter of a US serviceman and a homemaker from Korea, Shana says she decided to become an educator when she was a teenager. “I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was a student at Mesa Ridge High School in Colorado Springs,” she reveals. “We had an elementary education elective class at school, which allowed us to visit the surrounding elementary schools and volunteer. I loved being in the school environment as someone the students looked up to and sought help from,” she continues.

Shana earned a Bachelor’s degree in History with an Elementary Education endorsement from University of California, Colorado Springs, in 2012.

The Milken Educator Awards have been described by Teacher Magazine as the “Oscars of Teaching.” In addition to the $25,000 cash prize and public recognition, the award includes membership in the National Milken Educator Network, a group of more than 2,700 exemplary teachers, principals, and specialists from all over the country whose work strengthens best practices in education. To learn more, click on Milken Educator Awards.

 

Tennessee CTE teacher Jerry Webb nominated for 2025-2026 LifeChanger of the Year Award

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Career and Technical Education teacher (CTE) Jerry Webb of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been nominated for a 2025-2026 LifeChanger of the Year Award. Photo credit: National Life Group

I am always excited to share the news that a hardworking educator has earned accolades for the work they do in our nation’s classrooms. Today, I share the news that Jerry Webb, a teacher in Chattanooga, Tennessee. has been named one of 74 nominees for the 2025-2026 LifeChanger of the Year Award distributed by the National Life Group.

The prestigious LifeChanger of the Year Award recognizes educators who exemplify excellence, leadership, and positive influence in their school community. The winner of the award will garner a $20,000 grand prize, to be shared with the school, and several smaller cash prizes.

Jerry teaches Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses at IVY Academy, a tuition-free, public charter middle and high school located in Chattanooga. There he teaches in the Next Generation Sustainable Living (NGSL) program. The goal of the program is to inspire students to improve the lives of others, and to develop the skills they need to accomplish this. Some of the projects Jerry organizes include leading his students to design solar-powered systems, build off-grid tiny homes, and create solar backpacks.

“One of the most powerful experiences in my career has been traveling with students to Honduras, where we installed a solar-powered computer lab in a community that had never known electricity,” Jerry remembers. “Watching my students place a computer mouse into the hands of a child who had never touched technology, watching them power up a room full of possibilities, was life-shifting. My students came home different. They came home wiser. They came home understanding the weight and worth of what they can do,” he continued.

In addition to teaching these courses, Jerry serves as the coach for the Ivy Academy EV Racing Team. The participants on this team design, build, and race electric vehicles as part of a hands-on program that teaches engineering, renewable energy, teamwork, and innovation.

Jerry’s career as an educator spans 21 years. To learn more about this remarkable educator, click on this link to an article written about him published by the National Life Group.

 

 

NSF suspends program that delivers PAEMST honors

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The US National Science Foundation has announced that, as of July 18, 2025, there will be a suspension in the program that delivers Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) to our nation’s most excellent educators of mathematics, science, and technology courses. Below is the full text of announcement posted on the official website for the PAEMST:

 

“On July 18, 2025, NSF announced that it will pause the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) and the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) programs until further notice. NSF administers these programs on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Her is the full text of the announcement:

Any nominations submitted during the previously scheduled Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 submission window will not be considered, and there will not be any nominations and applications accepted for FY 2026.

The pause allows NSF to conduct a comprehensive review of the programs. NSF remains committed to supporting the nation’s STEM teachers and mentors and looks forward to providing future updates.”

Since 1983, up to 110 outstanding educators from across the country have been recognized by the White House for their passion, dedication, and impact in the classroom each year. The awards have been administered by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The honors recognize the importance that America’s teachers play in supporting learners who will become future STEM professionals, including computer technologists, climate scientists, mathematicians, innovators, space explorers, and engineers. The honor comes with a meeting with the President and a $10,000 cash prize.